FW: April 2008 Electronix Express Newsletter - Green Technology
Perry R Godwin
Because this issue of the Electronix Express Newsletter discusses green technology, I felt it was relevant to pass along to the members of the LCC Sustainability Committee, especially since some of you teach alternative energy.
Perry Godwin, Head Physics Lab Technician
Lansing Community College
Email: god...@lcc.edu
Work: (517) 483-9653
Cell: (517) 927-2155
Pgr: (517) 232-0278
Fax: (517) 483-1003
From: Electronix
Express [mailto:elec...@elexp.com]
Sent: Monday, April 07, 2008 2:18
PM
To: god...@lcc.edu
Subject: April 2008 Electronix
Express Newsletter
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Dear
Perry,
Welcome to the April 2008 Issue of the Electronix Express Newsletter
STORIES1. Opportunities Abound In Green It Movement 2. Hi-Temperature
Microwave Furnace Reduces Energy |
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1. Opportunities Abound In Green It Movement
A new study from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has found that there are significant opportunities arising because of the "green" IT movement. With concern for global environmental issues on the rise, technology organizations are beginning to implement green initiatives. Technology manufacturers are taking aggressive steps to expand their portfolio of green products and services by pursuing energy efficiency, implementing designs that reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous materials, using recycled or recyclable materials, building products that last longer, and creating packaging that meets or exceeds global environmental standards. According to PwC's "Technology Executive Connections: Going Green: Sustainable Growth Strategies" report, altruism is only one of several motivating factors behind the green movement, with the strongest driver being economic.
According to the study, 40 per cent of technology executives believe the green movement is creating significant market opportunities for their companies, as there has been an increase in customer demand for products and services that are more environmentally-friendly. Also, 60 per cent of executives surveyed said energy savings is one of the most important factors in their environmental decision-making processes. "The growing demand for more sustainable products and services could translate into one of the biggest new markets in recent memory," said Bruce McIntyre, leader of PwC's sustainable business solutions practice in Canada. Of the survey respondents, 61 per cent said they feel it is very important or important that their companies take steps to reduce their environmental impact. According to PwC, this shift towards green products, services and business operations is having a direct impact on collaboration and innovation levels throughout the IT value-chain.
The pendulum swing towards green technology is unleashing a creative disruption within the global technology market. The pressure is on companies to respond quickly, make the most of new opportunities and manage their own environmental risk.
2. Hi-Temperature Microwave Furnace Reduces Energy Use Up to 80%
Asian industry is leading the development and switch to high-temperature microwave sintering, replacing inefficient gas and electric furnaces with this newer green technology. "Switching to microwave furnaces cuts energy use up to 80% and reduces processing time by 90% while creating higher-quality end products with finer grain and increased density, strength and corrosion resistance," says Joseph Hines, chairman of Phoenix-based Spheric Technologies, Inc.
Sintering involves pressing metal or ceramic powders into shapes and subjecting them to controlled high heat to produce a finished solid object. Together, processing of powder metals and ceramics is a growing $13 billion industry in the U.S. alone, according to industry sources. "Widespread adoption of microwave processing throughout the materials industries in the U.S. is inevitable," says Professor Rustum Roy, Ph.D., Founding Director, Pennsylvania State University Materials Research Laboratory and Research Professor in Materials at Arizona State University. "Until now, a primary obstacle has been the unavailability of sophisticated high temperature microwave furnaces." High-temperature microwave furnaces are inherently green. The U. S. Department of Energy estimates that conversion of domestic steelmaking to microwave would save up to 14 million tons of coal burned for energy, reducing pollutant emissions by over 30 million tons of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide annually.
3. Start-up Says It Can Make Hydrogen With Sunlight And Water
The Maynard, Massachussetts based company announced that it has come up with a low-cost, durable titania electrode that can split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. Other companies have tried to use titania electrodes for this job in the past, but they broke down relatively rapidly. The company's electrodes work better because, ironically, they are more brittle. Sunlight hits the electrode, and the electrode splits the light into a positive charge, called a hole, and an electron. Before the two charges can rejoin, the electron gets captured by the electrode and then is exploited to split water. Silicon solar cells operate on the same principle. The crystal lattice in the electrode is stressed by the addition of more materials. Similarly, semiconductor makers stress their chips with germanium to create strained silicon, which improves performance. The stressing process stretches the titania crystal lattice so that electrons are held less tightly in the lattice and so can be knocked out of the titania with the light of lower energy, meaning visible light.
Although hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, it's not fun to make.
Currently, most companies make it by combining methane with water and heating up the mix to 815 degrees Celsius. That takes a lot of energy, but it also produces 9.3 kilograms of carbon dioxide for every kilogram of hydrogen. Hence, critics assert that hydrogen produced this way and used in hydrogen cars actually pollute more than regular cars. Some have said the energy for the cleaner water electrolysis process can be generated from the waste heat at nuclear power plants, but that solution requires nuclear plants, always a contentious issue. Hence, it appears what the Massachussetts start-up has executed in producing hydrogen from sunlight and water may be a viable solution for future applications.
4. Why Is Finland Europe's Technology Leader?
Although it's on the fringe of Europe geographically, Finland has for years been at the center of the continent's tech industry. The country gave birth to cell phone leader Nokia and has emerged as a place where multinationals like to recruit and erect labs. The government and local entrepreneurs are now moving into clean technology.
Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen explains the basic concept that fuels Finland's drive, "Because we cannot compete with Asian companies with low wages, our only possibility has been to stay a few steps forward. Of course, we also invested in education." In addition, funding for research and development has also consistently remained fairly high in Finland. As a nation, around 3.5 percent of Finland's gross domestic product goes into R&D. There are only two or three nations that spend that much. Topping the list in Europe along with Finland is Sweden.
Roughly two-thirds of the R&D funds in Finland come from the private sector, but one-third comes from the government. According to Prime Minister Vahanen, "There is a good relationship between private and public funding, but it is not the state's role not to determine where the money should go. It has to be very market oriented," he said.
Ironically, Finland actually consumes more energy, per capita, than most other nations because of its northern location. As part of an effort to curb emissions, a law was passed a few months ago imposing carbon taxes on cars. Cars that get better mileage pay far lower taxes than high emission, lower mileage cars. The range of taxes goes from 10 percent of the car's value to 40 percent. Clearly, the cost of being Europe's technology leader exacts a heavy price.
5. Motor Oil Goes Green?
Certain biofuels, though eco-friendly, have a reputation for gumming up engine parts, which affect vehicle performance and ultimately reduce engine life. So the idea of a bio-based motor oil may not be so appealing to most. But one Bay Area-based company is marketing a green, biodegradable motor oil that it says will protect engines as well as name-brand, petroleum-based oil.
G-Oil, made by Green Earth Technologies, is made by converting tallow into a high value unsaturated oil, which is less likely to clog up engine parts. Interestingly, tallow is saturated cow fat. Tallow was used historically to make products such as candles and soap, and was sometimes used in cooking. The resulting motor oil, according to the label, can be used in naturally-aspirated engines, as well as turbocharged and super-charged diesel and gasoline engines. In addition, the packaging is 100 percent recyclable, and the labels are printed on biodegradable paper with soy ink.
The company says the used oil is non-toxic and can be disposed of at home, but it must first be mixed with another of the company's products, called G-disposoil. The second compound breaks the oil into smaller molecules, which can be eaten by microorganisms found in the soil. However, there is no mention of whether other hazardous chemicals might be picked up by the oil during its lifespan inside the engine.
There isn't much information yet on how to buy G-oil, although the company recently showed off its products at the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) in Las Vegas.
6. Marvell Chip Puts More Power Into Your PC
Marvell has released chips for PC and notebook power bricks that can substantially cut down the amount of electricity required to run your PC. The chips, a type of power factor correction (PFC) controller based around a digital signal processor, effectively determine the amount of power an application will need and make the most of that power. In addition, the chips maintain peak current at the lowest level. The chips, which will be included in power supplies, are made to comply with new Energy Star requirements that require that 80 percent or more of the power pumped into PCs actually gets used by the computer. Around half of the power to your computers can be lost through heat or in the AC to DC conversion process. Optimizing power through the use of these chips cut down on power consumption and, of course, global warming-causing greenhouse gasses. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that there are more than 10 billion AC-DC power supplies attached to computers out there. More efficient power supplies could save nearly $3 billion in electric bills annually.
Marvell has chips out now but will crank into volume in the first quarter of 2008. That means the chips will likely be seen in PCs coming out for the fall of 2008.
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